Image processing system, information processing apparatus and method, image processing apparatus and method, recording medium, and program

ABSTRACT

An image processing system includes an information processing apparatus for editing edit text data for processing an image and converting the edit text data into a command for processing the image, and an image processing apparatus for processing the image on the basis of the command. The information processing apparatus includes an editing section, a command conversion section, a processing section, an image conversion section, and an output section. The image processing apparatus includes an obtaining section, a recognition section, and a processing section.

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present invention contains subject matter related to Japanese PatentApplication JP 2004-156746 filed in the Japanese Patent Office on May26, 2004, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein byreference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an image processing system, aninformation processing apparatus and method, an image processingapparatus and method, a recording medium, and a program. Moreparticularly, the present invention relates to an image processingsystem capable of editing a method of displaying video material in realtime and easily displaying image material and subtitles in anoverlapping manner, an information processing apparatus and method foruse therewith, an image processing apparatus and method for usetherewith, a recording medium for use therewith, and a program for usetherewith.

2. Description of the Related Art

Hitherto, in the production field of news programs, etc., programs areproduced by an operation of extracting desired portions from among alarge amount of AV (Audio Visual) data, which has been collected inadvance, and thereafter, splicing together these pieces of data.

However, it is a difficult operation to extract desired portions byremembering a covered situation from an enormous amount of AV data.Thus, a time-consuming operation of repeatedly playing back pieces of AVdata one by one and confirming it while viewing this data, and findingand extracting a desired portion needs to be performed.

Therefore, in order to resolve such time-consuming and effort of programproductions, for example, a technology has been proposed in which AVdata and situations during material gathering time are made easier tomanage by recording information during material gathering time into acommon disc-shaped recording medium conforming with all devices, such asan imaging apparatus used for collecting data and an editing apparatus(see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 11-088821).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In the video production of the related art, necessary portions oforiginal AV data are actually cut out and are spliced together.Furthermore, when a predetermined effect is applied (when apredetermined image effect process is performed on AV data), first, AVdata serving as original material is input, and AV data serving assecondary material in which effects are applied is combined therewithand is inserted at a desired place. In addition, in a still image and asubtitles image to be displayed overlappingly with AV data, the AV dataof a still image and subtitles, which is combined by a separatelyprovided tool (for example, a telopper), is generated. Then, it iscommon practice that AV data of the still image and the subtitles, whichis combined by the tool, is combined with the image at theabove-mentioned insertion place.

As a result, there is a problem in that, since the editing steps becomesequential, it takes time and effort. Another problem is that, when theoriginal AV data is provided in a compressed format, the image qualitybecomes deteriorated. Furthermore, since identical processing isnecessary even for a slight change (for example, shortening, replacementof subtitles, etc.) of the final AV data after being combined, a largeamount of effort is necessary.

As an example of a batch editing process by inputting a video editdecision list, a system using a so-called EDL (Edit Decision List)exists. The EDL is unique to a specific editing system, and inparticular, when making a reference from the EDL to material to beedited, a method specific to an editing system is used. As a result,there is a problem in that it is difficult to manage the EDL in a formbeyond a specific editing system. This problem applies the same to, inaddition to a linear editing system of the related art using theso-called EDL, all the non-linear editing systems having a dedicatedproject file.

Furthermore, in the editing system of the related art, only materialbased on a specific recording format and a video edit decision list(EDL) based on a specific representation method are made to be objectsto be processed. As a result, a clear distinction is not made betweenthe material recording format and the video edit decision listrepresentation method, which are determined as inputs for the editingsystem; and the specification inside the system. As a result, it isnecessary to re-design from the beginning the system itself in order todevelop the editing system to another recording format and anotherrepresentation method, thereby necessitating a large amount of time andeffort.

The present invention has been made in view of such a situation. It isdesirable to be capable of editing a method of displaying video materialin real time and easily displaying image material and subtitles in anoverlapping manner.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is providedan image processing system including: an information processingapparatus; and an image processing apparatus, wherein the informationprocessing apparatus includes an editing section editing edit text datafor processing a first image; a command conversion section convertingthe edit text data edited by the editing section into a command that canbe recognized by the image processing apparatus; a processing sectionprocessing a second image used for processing the first image based onthe edit text data, or subtitles text, on the basis of the edit textdata; an image conversion section converting the second image or thesubtitles text processed by the processing section into an image in apredetermined format; and an output section outputting the command andthe image in the predetermined format to the image processing apparatus,and wherein the image processing apparatus includes an obtaining sectionobtaining a command for processing the first image supplied from theinformation processing apparatus, and the image in the predeterminedformat in which the second image or the subtitles text is processed; arecognition section recognizing the command obtained by the obtainingsection; and a processing section processing the first image by usingthe image in the predetermined format on the basis of the commandrecognized by the recognition section.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, there isprovided an information processing apparatus including: an editingsection editing edit text data for processing a first image; a commandconversion section converting the edit text data edited by the editingsection into a command that can be recognized by the image processingapparatus; a processing section processing a second image used forprocessing the first image based on the edit text data, or subtitlestext, on the basis of the edit text data; an image conversion sectionconverting the second image or the subtitles text processed by theprocessing section into an image in a predetermined format; and anoutput section outputting the command and the image in the predeterminedformat to the image processing apparatus.

The edit text data may contain information indicating the definition oflayout, information indicating the definition of effects, informationindicating a method for displaying the first image, informationindicating a method for displaying the second image, and informationindicating a method for displaying the text used as subtitles.

When the second image used for processing the first image based on theedit text data or the text used as subtitles is processed on the basisof the edit text data, the processing section may process theinformation of the second image and the text used as subtitles on thebasis of the information indicating the method for displaying the secondimage and the information indicating the method for displaying text usedas subtitles, respectively.

The information processing apparatus may further include an identifiergeneration section generating an identifier for identifying theinformation of the second image or the text used as subtitles processedby the processing section.

The identifier generation section may generate an identifier by using aparameter contained in the information indicating the method fordisplaying the second image or contained in the information indicatingthe method for displaying the text used as subtitles processed by theprocessing section.

The identifier generation section may calculate a hashed value by usinga parameter contained in the information indicating the method fordisplaying the second image or contained in the information indicatingthe method for displaying the text used as subtitles processed by theprocessing section, and may generate an identifier from the hashedvalue.

The information processing apparatus may further include: an identifierstorage section storing the identifier generated by the identifiergeneration section; and a determination section determining whether ornot the identifier generated by the identifier generation section isstored in advance in the identifier storage section, wherein, only whenthe determination result of the determination section shows that theidentifier generated by the identifier generation section is not storedin the identifier storage section, the processing section may processthe second image used for the processing on the first image based on theedit text data, or the subtitles text, on the basis of the edit textdata.

The information processing apparatus may further include: aspecification data obtaining section obtaining specification data of theimage processing apparatus; and a command storage section storing acommand that can be recognized for each piece of the specification dataof the image processing apparatus, wherein the command conversionsection may convert the edit text data edited by the editing sectioninto a command that can be recognized by the image processing apparatuson the basis of the specification data of the image processingapparatus, the specification data being obtained by the specificationdata obtaining section.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, there isprovided an information processing method including the steps of:editing edit text data for processing a first image; converting the edittext data edited in the editing step into a command that can berecognized by an image processing apparatus; processing a second imageused for processing the first image based on the edit text data, orsubtitles text, on the basis of the edit text data; converting thesecond image or the subtitles text processed in the processing step intoan image in a predetermined format; and outputting the command and theimage in the predetermined format to the image processing apparatus.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, there isprovided a first recording medium having recorded thereon a programincluding the steps of: controlling the editing of edit text data forprocessing a first image; controlling the conversion of the edit textdata edited in the editing control step into a command that can berecognized by an image processing apparatus; controlling the processingof a second image used for processing the first image based on the edittext data or the processing of subtitles text, on the basis of the edittext data; controlling the conversion of the second image or thesubtitles text processed in the processing control step into an image ina predetermined format; and controlling the output of the command andthe image in the predetermined format to the image processing apparatus.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, there isprovided a first program for enabling a computer to execute the stepsof: controlling the editing of edit text data for processing a firstimage; controlling the conversion of the edit text data edited in theediting control step into a command that can be recognized by an imageprocessing apparatus; controlling the processing of a second image usedfor processing the first image based on the edit text data or theprocessing of subtitles text, on the basis of the edit text data;controlling the conversion of the second image or the subtitles textprocessed in the processing control step into an image in apredetermined format; and controlling the output of the command and theimage in the predetermined format to the image processing apparatus.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, there isprovided an image processing apparatus including: an obtaining sectionobtaining a command for processing a first image supplied from aninformation processing apparatus, and an image in a predetermined formatin which a second image or subtitles text is processed; a recognitionsection recognizing the command obtained by the obtaining section; and aprocessing section processing the first image by using the image in thepredetermined format on the basis of the command recognized by therecognition section.

The image processing apparatus may further include: a specification datastorage section storing its own specification data; and a supply sectionsupplying its own specification data stored in the specification datastorage section to the information processing apparatus.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, there isprovided an image processing method including the steps of: obtaining acommand for processing a first image supplied from an informationprocessing apparatus, and an image in a predetermined format in which asecond image or subtitles text is processed; recognizing the commandobtained in the obtaining step; and processing the first image by usingthe image in the predetermined format on the basis of the commandrecognized in the recognition step.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, there isprovided a second recording medium having recorded thereon a programincluding the steps of: controlling the obtainment of a command forprocessing a first image supplied from an information processingapparatus, and an image in a predetermined format in which a secondimage or subtitles text is processed; controlling the recognition of thecommand obtained in the obtaining control step; and controlling theprocessing of the first image by using the image in the predeterminedformat on the basis of the command recognized in the recognition controlstep.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, there isprovided a second program for enabling a computer to execute the stepsof: controlling the obtainment of a command for processing a first imagesupplied from an information processing apparatus, and an image in apredetermined format in which a second image or subtitles text isprocessed; controlling the recognition of the command obtained in theobtaining control step; and controlling the processing of the firstimage by using the image in the predetermined format on the basis of thecommand recognized in the recognition control step.

In the image processing system according to the embodiment of thepresent invention, by using the information processing apparatus, edittext data for processing a first image is edited; the edited edit textdata is converted into a command that can be recognized by the imageprocessing apparatus; a second image used for processing the first imagebased on the edit text data, or subtitles text is processed on the basisof the edit text data; the processed second image or the processedsubtitles text is converted into an image in a predetermined format; andthe command and the image in the predetermined format are output to theimage processing apparatus. By using the image processing apparatus, thecommand for processing the first image that is supplied from theinformation processing apparatus, and the image in the predeterminedformat, in which the second image or the subtitles text is processed,are obtained; the obtained command is recognized; and based on therecognized command, the first image is processed by using the image inthe predetermined format.

In the information processing apparatus and method, and the firstprogram according to the embodiments of the present invention, edit textdata for processing a first image is edited; the edited edit text datais converted into a command that can be recognized by the imageprocessing apparatus; a second image used for processing the first imagebased on the edit text data, or subtitles text is processed on the basisof the edit text data; the processed second image or the processedsubtitles text is converted into an image in a predetermined format; andthe command and the image in the predetermined format are output to theimage processing apparatus.

In the image processing apparatus and method, and the second programaccording to the embodiments of the present invention, a command forprocessing a first image that is supplied from the informationprocessing apparatus, and an image in a predetermined format in which asecond image or subtitles text is processed are obtained; the obtainedcommand is recognized; and based on the recognized command, the firstimage is processed by using the image in the predetermined format.

The information processing apparatus and the image processing apparatusaccording to the embodiments of the present invention may be independentapparatuses, or may be blocks that perform information processing andimage processing, respectively.

According to the embodiments of the present invention, it becomespossible to edit a method of displaying an image in real time and toeasily display images and subtitles in an overlapping manner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example in which an image distribution system towhich an embodiment of the present invention is applied is used;

FIG. 2 shows the configuration of an editing apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows the configuration of an editing processing apparatus ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an editing process of the imagedistribution system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an edit text data editing process ofFIG. 4;

FIG. 6 shows an example of edit text data;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an image text material conversionprocess of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 illustrates a method of calculating an identifier;

FIG. 9 illustrates an example of calculating a hashed value serving asan identifier;

FIG. 10 illustrates an example of calculating a hashed value serving asan identifier;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an image editing process of FIG. 4;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an image editing control process ofFIG. 11;

FIG. 13 shows another configuration of the editing apparatus of FIG. 2;

FIG. 14 shows another configuration of the editing processing apparatusof FIG. 3;

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating an edit text data editing process ofFIG. 4 by using the editing apparatus of FIG. 13 and the editingprocessing apparatus of FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 shows another configuration of the editing apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 17 shows another configuration of the editing processing apparatusof FIG. 1;

FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating an edit text data editing process ofFIG. 4 by using the editing apparatus of FIG. 16 and the editingprocessing apparatus of FIG. 17;

FIG. 19 illustrates an example in which edit text data is inserted intovideo material;

FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating an image editing process of FIG. 4by using the editing processing apparatus of FIG. 17; and

FIG. 21 shows the configuration of an embodiment of a personal computer.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows the configuration of an embodiment of an image distributionsystem to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied;

An editing apparatus 1 is an apparatus having a function to edit textdata, and edits edit text data for editing video material stored in avideo material storage 3 in accordance with an operation of a user. Morespecifically, the editing apparatus 1 edits edit text data written bySMIL (Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language) in accordance withan operation of the user. In the edit text data to be edited by theediting apparatus 1, the information of the size and the layout of animage to be displayed, the definition of various effect processing, amethod of displaying video material, a method of displaying imagematerial to be added to video material, and a method of displayingsubtitles text to be overlay-displayed on the video material aredescribed.

The editing apparatus 1 converts the edit text data into a command thatcan be recognized by an editing processing apparatus 4 for actuallyediting video material and supplies the command to the editingprocessing apparatus 4. In the following, a description is given byassuming that the edit text data is described in the SMIL format, butthe edit text data may be described in a format other than SMIL.

Furthermore, based on the edit text data, the editing apparatus 1 editsthe image material stored in an image material storage 2, converts allthe image material in various image formats into a bit-mapped format,and supplies it to the editing processing apparatus 4. Also, the editingapparatus 1 converts the subtitles text contained in the edit text datainto a bit-mapped format, and supplies it to the editing processingapparatus 4.

In the image material storage 2, video material is stored in an MXF(Material Exchange Format) format. Also, the image material storage 2may be in any form as long as it can store video material. For example,the image material storage 2 may be a storage device, such as a harddisk drive (HDD), provided in one of the editing apparatus 1 and theediting processing apparatus 4, or may be a dedicated server on anetwork 5. Furthermore, the image material storage 2 may be providedwith a removable medium and a drive for allowing information recorded onthe removable medium to be read. The image material storage 2 has storedtherein image material in various image formats. Similarly to the videomaterial storage 3, the image material storage 2 may be in any form aslong as it can store image material.

In this embodiment, a description is given of an example in which, inthe editing apparatus 1, image material and subtitles text are edited,and thereafter are converted into a bit map. However, the image formatmay be an image format other than a bit map. In any image format, theedited image material and the edited subtitles text are converted into aunified, predetermined image format, and are supplied to the editingprocessing apparatus 4.

Based on the command supplied from the editing apparatus 1, the editingprocessing apparatus 4 reads video material stored in the video materialstorage 3, generates a combined image by using the bit-map material ofthe image material converted on the basis of the edit text data or thebit-map material of the subtitles text, and distributes, via the network5, the combined image to AV (Audio Visual) devices 6-1 and 6-2 formed ofa television receiver, a hard disk drive (HDD) recorder, or a digitalversatile disc (DVD) recorder. When the AV devices 6-1 and 6-2 do nothave to be particularly distinguished from each other, they are referredto simply as the AV device 6, and this applies the same to the othercomponents. In FIG. 1, an example in which two devices, that is, the AVdevices 6-1 and 6-2, are connected to the network 5 is shown.Alternatively, three or more devices may be connected to the network 5,and video material edited using the editing processing apparatus 4 maybe distributed to each AV device 6.

As a result of the above configuration, it may be said that the editingapparatus 1 and the editing processing apparatus 4 constitute an imageediting system for editing video materials stored in the video materialstorage 3.

Next, referring to FIG. 2, the configuration of the editing apparatus 1is described.

When an operation section 12 including a touch panel, an operationbutton, a keyboard, and/or a mouse is operated by the user, on the basisof the corresponding operation signal, an editing section 11 displays anediting screen of SMIL on a display section 13, generates edit textdata, and outputs it to a conversion section 14. When generating theedit text data, the editing section 11 reads proxy data (lowimage-quality data among the video materials) of video material from thevideo material storage 3 and displays it as necessary.

A command conversion section 21 of the conversion section 14 convertsthe edit text data supplied from the editing section 11 into a commandthat can be recognized by the editing processing apparatus 4, andsupplies it to a combining section 23. Based on the information of themethod of displaying image material to be added to the video material inthe edit text data and the information of the method of displayingsubtitles text to be overlay-displayed on the video material, an imagetext conversion section 22 reads image material from the image materialstorage 2, processes it or processes the subtitles text, converts theprocessed one into an image in a bit-map format, and outputs it asbit-map material to the combining section 23.

More specifically, a processing section 30 of the command conversionsection 21 processes the image material or the subtitles text on thebasis of the information of the method of displaying image material tobe added to the video material in the edit text data and on the basis ofthe information of the method of displaying subtitles text to beoverlay-displayed on the video material.

Furthermore, a conversion processing section 31 converts the imagematerial or the subtitles text processed by the processing section 30into a bit-map material composed of image data in a bit-map format.

Furthermore, an identifier generation section 32 extracts parameterscontained in the information of the method of displaying image material(still image) to be added to the video material in the edit text dataand contained in the information of the method of displaying subtitlestext to be overlay-displayed on the video material, also determines anidentifier composed of a hashed value based on the plurality of theparameters, attaches it as the file name of the bit-map material, andstores the identifier in a memory 34.

A determination section 33 determines whether or not the identifiergenerated by the identifier generation section 32 exists in the memory34, and based on the determination result, stops the processing processof the processing section 30 and the conversion process of theconversion processing section 31. That is, since the bit-map materialhaving the file name of the same identifier has already been generatedat another timing, it is assumed that a processing process and aconversion process need not to be further performed. In that case, aprocessing process and a conversion process are not performed. In otherwords, based on the determination result of the determination section33, only when the same identifier does not exist in the memory 34, theprocessing section 30 and the conversion processing section 31 perform aprocessing process and a conversion process, respectively.

The combining section 23 combines the command that is converted andgenerated by the command conversion section 21 on the basis of the edittext data, and the bit-map material generated by the image textconversion section 22, and supplies it as a combined signal to theediting processing apparatus 4.

Next, referring to FIG. 3, the configuration of the editing processingapparatus 4 is described.

A separation section 41 separates the command and the bit-map materialfrom the combined signal in which the command and the bit-map materialsupplied from the editing apparatus 1 are combined, and supplies them toa command recognition section 42 and a bit-map material storage 44,respectively.

The command recognition section 42 recognizes the command supplied fromthe separation section 41, converts it into a signal for controlling theoperation of an operation control section 43, and supplies it to theoperation control section 43. Based on the signal supplied from thecommand recognition section 42, the operation control section 43generates a timing model, and controls the editing content and theprocessing timing of an editing processing section 45 in order to allowvideo material to be read from the video material storage 3 and also toallow bit-map material composed of image material and subtitles text tobe read from the bit-map material storage 44 as appropriate. Then, theoperation control section 43 performs control for the editing processingsection 45 to perform an editing process using the materials and tooutput the editing result to an output section 46. The output section 46distributes the video material, which is the editing result, to the AVdevice 6 via the network 5.

Based on the control signal of the operation control section 43, anobtaining section 51 of the editing processing section 45 reads videomaterial stored in the video material storage 3 and supplies it todecoders 52-1 and 52-2 as appropriate. The decoders 52-1 and 52-2, whichare configured identically, decode the video material, and outputs it toframe buffers 53-1 and 53-2, where the decoded video material is stored.The reason why the decoders 52-1 and 52-2 and the frame buffers 53-1 and53-2 are each formed in two systems is that, for example, when an effectprocess in which two screens are combined in some form is to beperformed, two video materials need to be processed in parallel, andthus, each can be decoded. Therefore, in, order to perform processing ata higher speed, they may be formed in three or more systems.

Based on the control signal from the operation control section 43, aneffect processing section 54 reads the video material decoded by theframe buffers 53-1 and 53-2 at a predetermined timing, performs aneffect process corresponding to the command thereon, and outputs it to acombining section 55.

Based on the control signal from the operation control section 43, thecombining section 55 reads bit-map material composed of image materialand subtitles text, which is stored in the bit-map material storage 44and on which predetermined processing is performed, at a predeterminedtiming, combines it with the video material on which the effect processis performed, and outputs it to the output section 46.

Next, referring to the flowchart in FIG. 4, the editing process isdescribed.

In step S1, the editing apparatus 1 performs an edit text data editingprocess. As a result of this process, the editing apparatus 1 edits theedit text data, converts the edit text data into a command that can berecognized by the editing processing apparatus 4, and supplies it to theediting processing apparatus 4. The edit text data editing process willbe described later with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 5.

In step S2, the editing processing apparatus 4 performs an image editingprocess. Based on the command supplied from the editing apparatus 1 as aresult of this process, the editing processing apparatus 4 reads videomaterial from the image material storage 2, performs predetermined imageprocessing thereon, and distributes it to the AV device 6 via thenetwork 5. The image editing process will be described later withreference to FIG. 11.

Next, referring to the flowchart in FIG. 5, the edit text data editingprocess will be described below.

In step S11, the editing section 11 determines whether or not theoperation section 12 is operated by the user and an edit text dataediting process is requested, and repeats the process until it isdetermined that the edit text data editing process is requested. When itis determined in step S11 that the edit text data editing process isrequested, in step S12, the editing section 11 displays the editingscreen of the edit text data on the display section 13.

The edit text data is written by SMIL, and is, for example, in a formshown in FIG. 6.

In FIG. 6, the description from the first to third lines forms theheader of the edit text data and is information for identifying the edittext data. The description from the 51st to 53rd lines is provided so asto correspond to the description from the first to third lines.

The description from the fourth to 13th lines in which “LayoutDefinition” is described in the fourth line indicates the layoutdefinition information, and indicates the size at which the videomaterial to be displayed finally is displayed, and also indicates thesize and the position of the image material and the subtitles textdesired to be arranged and displayed on an image on which the videomaterial is displayed. In FIG. 6, the description of the sixth linedefines the width and the height as the size of the image, and thebackground color. In the seventh to 11th lines, the position at whichthe image material and the subtitles text desired to be arranged anddisplayed on an image on which the video material is displayed start,and the width and the height as the size thereof are indicated. Withregard to the size, either defining with the number of pixels by usingonly a numeric value or defining by a percentage with respect to theimage size by describing “%” can be selected.

The description from the 14th to 24th lines in which “Effect Definition”is described in the 14th line indicates the effect definitioninformation, and also indicates information in which various effectprocessing desired to be performed on the video material is defined. InFIG. 6, in the 15th to 18th lines, effect processes of fade-in,fade-out, cross fade, and wipe, are defined. In the 21st line, atransformation effect process is defined.

The description from the 25th to 31st lines in which “Video Description”is described in the 25th line indicates the method of displaying videomaterial, and also indicates information for specifying video materialto be read, and information such as the display start time for eachmaterial, the end time, effect processing content, and the start time ofthe effect process, etc. In FIG. 6, in the 26th and 27th lines, themethod of displaying one video material is described, and in the 28th to30th lines, the method of displaying another video material isdescribed; thus, methods of displaying a total of two video materialsare described. In the 26th and 28th lines of FIG. 6, the information forspecifying the video material to be read is described as “video src=“ .. . ¥DaisetuRev.mxf”” in order to describe a path indicating theposition where the video material in an MXF file format of“DaisetuRev.mxf” exists. Alternatively, for example, that informationmay be specified by UMID (Unique Material Identifier).

The description from the 32nd to 40th lines in which “Image Description”is described in the 32nd line indicates a method of displaying imagematerial, and the time at which a display is performed for each imagematerial, the display area, the display period, the effect processingcontent, the color information, etc., are indicated.

The description from the 41st to 50th lines in which “Text Description”is described in the 41st line indicates a method of displaying subtitlestext, and also indicates the content of text, the display start time,the display period, the effect processing content, the font information,etc.

As a result of the user manipulating the image displayed in step S12,the edit text data shown in FIG. 6 is generated. Then, in step S13, theediting section 11 determines whether or not an operation indicatingthat the edit text data editing process has been completed is performedby operating the operation section 12, and repeats the process until anoperation indicating that the editing process is completed is performed.When it is determined in step S13 that an operation indicating that theediting process is completed is performed, in step S14, the editingsection 11 outputs the edit text data edited by the user to theconversion section 14. Then, the command conversion section 21 of theconversion section 14 converts the supplied edit text data into acommand that can be recognized by the editing processing apparatus 4,and outputs it to the combining section 23.

In step S15, the image text conversion section 22 performs an image textmaterial conversion process and outputs a bit-map image signal, which isthe processing result, to the combining section 23.

Referring now to the flowchart in FIG. 7, an image text materialconversion process is described below.

In step S21, based on the edit text data supplied from the editingsection 11, the image text conversion section 22 reads a parameter forthe conversion of image text material.

In step S22, the identifier generation section 32 determines a hashedvalue in which a value generated on the basis of the read parameter isassumed to be an input value.

That is, for example, in the case of a description regarding theprocessing of subtitles text shown in FIG. 8, the image text conversionsection 22 reads the following as parameters for processing subtitles:

“1920”, “1080”, and “black”, which are values indicating the width andthe height indicating the size of the display screen, and the backgroundcolor in the fifth line; the values being surrounded by the frame ofFIG. 8;

“40” and “20”, which are values indicating the width and the height atthe layout position of the subtitles in the sixth line;

“Welcome to” indicating the subtitles text in the 13th line;

“Times New Roman”, which specifies the font of the subtitles in the 14thline;

“70”, which specifies the font style in the 16th line;

“normal”, which specifies the font width in the 17th line;

“none”, which specifies the text decoration in the 18th line;

“white”, which specifies the font color in the 19th line;

“10”, which specifies the character spacing in the 20th line;

“5”, which indicates the size of shading attached to text in the 21stline;

“black”, which specifies the color of shading attached to text in the22nd line;

“center”, which specifies the horizontal center position in the 23rdline;

“middle”, which specifies the vertical center position of the 24th line;and

“true”, which specifies the presence or absence of word wrap in wordunits in the 25th line.

Furthermore, based on theses parameters, the identifier generationsection 32 generates an input value of a hashed value, which is anidentifier of “768, 216, Welcome to, Times New Roman, 70, normal,normal, none, 00000000, FFFFFF00, 10, 5, 000000FF, center, middle, true,0, 0, 0, 0”. Here, “768” and “216” at the beginning are valuescalculated on the basis of the parameters of the width and the height,respectively. That is, “768” is a value calculated from 1920×40, and“216” is a value calculated from 1080×20. “00000000” is a valueindicating “black” of the background color. “FFFFFF00” is a valueindicating “white” that specifies the font color in the 19th line.“000000FF” is a value indicating “black” that specifies the color of theshade attached to the text in the 22nd line. “0, 0, 0, 0” at the endindicates a margin size in the upward direction, in the rightwarddirection, in the downward direction, and in the leftward direction,respectively, and all these values are 0 by default unless particularlyspecified otherwise.

Furthermore, with respect to the values generated on the basis of theparameters, “768, 216, Welcome to, Times New Roman, 70, normal, normal,none, 00000000, FFFFFF00, 10, 5, 000000FF, center, middle, true, 0, 0,0, 0”, the identifier generation section 32 obtains a hashed value“59b43bee7ac80d236c76548ac6b825be” composed of a hexadecimal numbershown in FIG. 9 by using, for example, a message digest function MD5.For example, when “Welcome to” among the parameters, which are inputs inFIG. 9, is changed to a representation of Hiragan “

(welcome)”, an input signal is “768, 216,

(welcome), Times New Roman, 70, normal, normal, none, 00000000,FFFFFF00, 10, 5, 000000FF, center, middle, true, 0, 0, 0, 0”. The hashedvalue thereof becomes “c24145da9ec694c0470f52c15f87e926”, as shown inFIG. 10. That is, as a result of determining the hashed value in themanner described above, by only changing some of the parameters, itbecomes possible to generate a completely different identifier inaccordance with the parameters. The function used to determine thehashed value is not restricted to MD5, and may be other functions fordetermining a hashed value. An input value formed of parameters is notrestricted to the above examples, and may be various other parameters.For example, a file name and a description of the path that specifiesthe position at which the file exists may be used.

In step S23, the determination section 33 compares the identifiercomposed of a hashed value generated by the identifier generationsection 32 with the identifier, stored in the memory 34, which isgenerated until then by the identifier generation section 32, in orderto determine whether or not the identifier is an identifier generated inthe past.

When it is determined in step S23 that, for example, the identifier isnot an identifier generated in the past, in step S24, the processingsection 30 processes the image material or the text used for subtitlesin accordance with the edit text data by using the extracted parameters.

In step S25, the conversion processing section 31 converts the imagematerial or the text material used for subtitles processed by theprocessing section 30 into an image in a bit-map format, and supplies itto the combining section 23. That is, since the image material isgenerated in various image formats, this is converted into a unifiedbit-map material. Here, all the processed image material or theprocessed text used for subtitles are converted into a bit-map format ina unified manner. Alternatively, in the case of processing forconverting all of these into a unified image format, other image formatsmay be used. For example, TIFF (Tagged Image File Format), GIF (GraphicInterchange Format), or JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) may beused.

In step S26, the image text conversion section 22 defines the generatedbit-map material as a file and attaches, as a file name thereof, anidentifier composed of the hashed value determined in step S22.

In step S27, the image text conversion section 22 newly registers theidentifier used as the file name in the memory 34.

In step S28, the image text conversion section 22 determines whether ornot all the image material or the text used for subtitles described inthe edit text data is processed. When it is determined that all theimage material or the text used for subtitles is not processed, theprocess returns to step S21, and processing of step S21 and subsequentsteps is repeated.

On the other hand, when it is determined in step S23 that the identifieris a hashed value generated in the past, since the same processingprocess was performed on the same material and a bit-map material wasgenerated in the past, processing of steps S24 to S27 is skipped.

Then, when it is determined in step S28 that all the image materialdescribed in the edit text data or the text used for subtitles isprocessed, the processing is completed.

As a result of the above processing, the image material or the text usedfor subtitles is processed in accordance with the edit text data, and isconverted into a bit-map image. Thus, it becomes possible to convert theimage material or the subtitles text into a unified bit-map material.Also, for the file forming each of the generated bit-map materials, anidentifier composed of a hashed value generated on the basis of theparameters used for processing is attached as a file name. This makes itpossible to identify the file of each bit-map material. Furthermore, asa result of storing the identifier and determining whether or not theidentifier determined on the basis of the parameters used for aprocessing process before the processing process is performed wasgenerated in the past, it is possible to confirm whether or not the sameidentifier exists, that is, whether or not the same image material orthe subtitles text was processed using the same parameters in the past.Thus, by performing a processing process only when the same identifierdoes not exist, it is possible to not only omit an unnecessaryprocessing process, but also suppress an increase in the load ofcommunication due to an increase in the amount of unnecessary data andsuppress an increase in the size of the recording medium.

The description now returns to the flowchart in FIG. 5.

When, as a result of the process in step S15, the image material or thesubtitles text material is processed on the basis of the edit text dataand is further converted into a bit-map material, in step S16, thecombining section 23 combines the command supplied from the commandconversion section 21 with the bit-map material generated by the imagetext conversion section 22 in order to generate a combined signal.

In step S17, the combining section 23 supplies the combined signal tothe editing processing apparatus 4.

As a result of the above processing, it is possible to supply, to theediting processing apparatus 4, the command that can be recognized bythe editing processing apparatus 4 in accordance with the edit textdata, and to supply, as bit-map material, the image material in abit-map format used for an editing process, described in the edit textdata, and the information of the text used for subtitles.

Next, referring to the flowchart in FIG. 11, a description is given ofan image editing process, which is a process of step S2 in the flowchartof FIG. 4.

In step S41, the separation section 41 of the editing processingapparatus 4 determines whether or not the combined signal is suppliedfrom the editing apparatus 1, and repeats the process until the combinedsignal is supplied. In step S41, when, as a result of the process instep S17, the combined signal is supplied, the separation section 41determines that the combined signal is supplied, and the processproceeds to step S42.

In step S42, the separation section 41 separates the command and thebit-map material contained in the supplied combined signal, and suppliesthem to the command recognition section 42 and the bit-map materialstorage 44, respectively.

In step S43, the command recognition section 42 recognizes the suppliedcommand and supplies the recognition result to the operation controlsection 43. More specifically, based on the command, the commandrecognition section 42 generates a timing model for allowing the editingprocessing section 45 to operate. Here, the timing model defines as towhat kind of process each section of the editing processing section 45performs at what kind of timing. The operation control section 43controls various kinds of operations of the editing processing section45 on the basis of this timing model.

In step S44, the bit-map material storage 44 stores the supplied bit-mapmaterial.

In step S45, based on the recognition result supplied from the commandrecognition section 42, the operation control section 43 allows theediting processing section 45 to operate to perform an image editingcontrol process for editing an image.

Referring now to the flowchart in FIG. 12, the image editing controlprocess is described.

In step S61, based on the timing model, the operation control section 43determines whether or not a display timing is present, and repeats theprocess until it is determined that a display timing is present. When itis determined in step S61 that a display timing is present, the processproceeds to step S62.

In step S62, based on the timing model, the operation control section 43determines whether or not an AB roll process should be performed inwhich, to use an image to be displayed, two video materials are used.When it is determined in step S62 that an AB roll process should beperformed, in step S63, the operation control section 43 allows theobtaining section 51 to obtain two predetermined video materials fromthe video material storage 3 and to supply them to the decoders 52-1 and52-2, correspondingly.

In step S64, the decoders 52-1 and 52-2 each decode the video materialssupplied from the obtaining section 51, supply them to the frame buffers53-1 and 53-2, respectively, where they are stored.

In step S65, the operation control section 43 controls the effectprocessing section 54 so as to perform an effect process on the decodedvideo materials stored in the frame buffers 53-1 and 53-2 and to supplythem to the combining section 55.

In step S66, by referring to the timing model, the operation controlsection 43 determines whether or not a superimposition process (processfor displaying the bit-map material in such a manner as to beoverlay-displayed on the video material) is contained in the effectprocess. When it is determined in step S66 that a superimpositionprocess is contained, the process proceeds to step S67.

In step S67, the operation control section 43 controls the combiningsection 55 so as to read a predetermined bit-map material from thebit-map material storage 44. In step S68, the bit-map material iscombined so that it is displayed in such a manner as to beoverlay-displayed on the video material on which a predetermined effectprocess is performed.

In step S69, the operation control section 43 supplies the imageprocessed by the combining section 55 to the output section 46.

On the other hand, when it is determined in step S62 that an AB rollprocess should not be performed, in step S70, the operation controlsection 43 allows the obtaining section 51 to supply one predeterminedvideo material from the video material storage 3 to one of the decoders52-1 and 52-2.

In step S71, the decoders 52-1 and 52-2 decode the video materialssupplied from the obtaining section 51, and supply them to the framebuffers 53-1 and 53-2, respectively, where they are stored.

That is, the decoders 52-1 and 52-2 and the frame buffers 53-1 and 53-2are formed in two systems. Alternatively, there are cases in which onlyone system performs processing or two systems perform processing inparallel.

When it is determined in step S66 that the superimposition process isnot contained, processing of steps S67 and S68 is skipped. That is, whenthe superimposition process is not contained, the combining section 55supplies the image as is, on which the effect process is performed bythe effect processing section 54, to the output section 46.

The description now returns to the flowchart in FIG. 11.

In step S46, the output section 46 distributes the edited video materialto the AV devices 6-1 and 6-2 via the network 5. More specifically, theoutput section 46 converts the edited video material so that it becomesignals compatible with the protocol necessary for communication in thenetwork 5, and distributes it via the network 5.

As a result of the above processing, in the editing apparatus 1, by onlyediting the edit text data of the video material, it becomes possible todistribute the data in real time while the image editing process of thevideo material to be distributed is being performed.

In the foregoing, an example has been described in which, based on thecommand and the bit-map material generated by the editing apparatus 1,the editing processing apparatus 4 reads necessary video material,performs effect processing thereon, and distributes it. As a practicaldevice configuration, the editing apparatus 1 needs only to be providedwith a function for editing edit text data, a function for convertingthe command of the edit text data, and a function for converting theimage material or the subtitles text material into a bit-map material.Therefore, the device can be realized by, for example, a PC (PersonalComputer). However, there is a demand for the editing processingapparatus 4 to be capable of realizing a decoding process and ahigh-speed and sophisticated processing of performing effect processingon video material; therefore, dedicated hardware may be necessary.

In the editing apparatus 1, it is easy to add a new editing functionbecause it can be formed by software using, for example, a PC. In thecase of an editing function that is difficult to be represented by acommand that can be recognized by the editing processing apparatus 4,even if the editing apparatus 1 generates a command in accordance withthe edit text data, it is difficult for the editing processing apparatus4 to recognize the command. As a result, there is a risk in that it isdifficult to implement an image editing control process.

Accordingly, the editing apparatus 1 may be made to recognize a commandthat can be recognized or can be processed by the editing processingapparatus 4 so that only the command that can be realized by the editingprocessing apparatus 4 can be selectively used.

FIG. 13 shows the configuration of the editing apparatus 1 that inquiresin advance the editing processing apparatus 4 of specification data,that recognizes a command that can be recognized or can be processed bythe editing processing apparatus 4 in accordance with the specificationdata, and that can selectively use only the command that can beimplemented by the editing processing apparatus 4. FIG. 14 shows theconfiguration of the editing processing apparatus 4 that responds thespecification data to the editing apparatus 1 in response to an inquiryfrom the editing apparatus 1 of FIG. 13.

Components in FIG. 13 or 14, which correspond to the components in FIG.2 or 3, are designated with the same reference numerals, anddescriptions thereof are omitted where appropriate.

In the editing apparatus 1 of FIG. 13, the difference from the editingapparatus 1 of FIG. 2 is that a command editing section 71 is providedin place of the command conversion section 21.

The basic functions of the command editing section 71 are identical tothose of the command conversion section 21, but when the edit text datais converted into a command, the specification data of the editingprocessing apparatus 4 is obtained by inquiring the editing processingapparatus 4 in advance. Furthermore, the command editing section 71 isprovided with a command book 71 a. In the command book 71 a, a commandthat can be recognized (that allows an image conversion control processto be performed) by the editing processing apparatus 4 is described foreach piece of the specification data of the editing processing apparatus4.

Therefore, when the edit text data is converted into a command, thecommand editing section 71 inquires the editing processing apparatus 4in order to obtain the specification data of the editing processingapparatus 4, and converts the edit text data into a commandcorresponding to the obtained specification data.

In the editing processing apparatus 4 of FIG. 14, the difference theediting processing apparatus 4 of FIG. 3 is that a command recognitionsection 81 is provided in place of the command recognition section 42.

The command recognition section 81, whose basic functions are identicalto those of the command recognition section 42, reads its ownspecification data 81 a in response to an inquiry from the commandediting section 71 of FIG. 13, and transmits it to the editing apparatus1.

Next, referring to the flowchart in FIG. 15, a description will be givenof an edit text data editing process by the editing apparatus 1 of FIG.13 and the editing processing apparatus 4 of FIG. 14. The processing ofsteps S81 to S83 and the processing of steps S87 to S89 in the flowchartof FIG. 15 are identical to the processing of steps S11 to S13 and theprocessing of steps S15 to S17 in the flowchart of FIG. 5, andaccordingly, descriptions thereof are omitted.

When it is determined in step S83 that the editing of the edit text datais completed, in step S84, the command editing section 71 inquires theediting processing apparatus 4 of the specification data.

In step S101, the command recognition section 81 determines whether ornot an inquiry of specification data is made from the editing apparatus1. When an inquiry is made as a result of the process in step S84, instep S102, the command recognition section 81 reads the specificationdata 81 a stored in itself and supplies it to the editing apparatus 1.

In step S85, the command editing section 71 obtains the specificationdata of the editing processing apparatus 4, which is supplied as aresult of the process in step S102.

In step S86, based on the obtained specification data, the commandediting section 71 refers to the command book 71 a in order to read acommand that can be recognized by the editing processing apparatus 4(that allows an image editing control process to be performed), andconverts it into a command in such a manner as to correspond to the edittext data.

As a result of the above processing, even if the editing apparatus 1 isused in combination with the editing processing apparatus 4 of variousspecifications, it is possible to generate a command in accordance withthe processing performance of the editing processing apparatus 4. Thus,it becomes possible to allow the editing processing apparatus 4 tostably implement an image editing control process.

In the foregoing, an example has been described in which, based on theedit text data edited in real time by the editing apparatus 1, the videomaterial is edited and furthermore is distributed. Alternatively, forexample, the edit text data may be provided in the video material, sothat, when the video material is read, this can be edited anddistributed.

FIGS. 16 and 17 show the editing apparatus 1 and the editing processingapparatus 4 in which the edit text data is provided in the videomaterial, so that, when the video material is read, this can be editedand distributed. Components in FIGS. 16 and 17, which correspond to thecomponents of the editing apparatus 1 and the editing processingapparatus 4 in FIGS. 2 and 3, are designated with the same referencenumerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted where appropriate.

In the editing apparatus 1 of FIG. 16, the difference from the editingapparatus 1 of FIG. 2 is that the conversion section 14 is omitted, onlythe image text conversion section 22 remains, and a header attachingsection 91 is provided in place of the command conversion section 21.

The header attaching section 91 attaches the edit text data suppliedfrom the editing section 11 to the header of the video material storedin the video material storage 3.

In the editing processing apparatus 4 of FIG. 17, the difference fromthe editing processing apparatus 4 of FIG. 3 is that the separationsection 41 is omitted, and an operation section 100, a separationsection 101, a command conversion section 102, and a bit-map materialstorage 103 are provided.

The operation section 100 includes a keyboard, operation buttons, andthe like, and is operated by the user when a distribution process isinstructed. When the video material stored in the video material storage3 is read, the separation section 101 separates the edit text datadescribed in the header part and the video material, supplies the edittext data to the command conversion section 102, and supplies the videomaterial to the obtaining section 51 of the editing processing section45.

The command conversion section 102, whose basic functions are identicalto those of the command conversion section 21, converts the edit textdata supplied from the separation section 101 into a command that can berecognized by the command recognition section 42 and supplies it to thecommand recognition section 42.

The basic functions of the bit-map material storage 103 are identical tothose of the bit-map material storage 44. Whereas the bit-map materialstorage 44 obtains and stores the bit-map material supplied from theseparation section 41, the bit-map material storage 103 stores as is thebit-map material supplied from the editing apparatus 1.

Next, referring to the flowchart in FIG. 18, a description will be givenof an edit text data editing process by the editing apparatus 1 of FIG.16. The processing of steps S111 to S113 and step S115 in the flowchartof FIG. 18 are identical to the processing of steps S11 to S13 and stepS15 in the flowchart of FIG. 5, and accordingly, descriptions thereofare omitted.

When it is determined in step S113 that the editing of the edit textdata is completed, in step S114, based on the edit text data, the headerattaching section 91 reads predetermined video material of the videomaterial storage 3, attaches the edit text data supplied from theediting section 11 to the header thereof, as shown in, for example, FIG.19, and stores it in the original video material storage 3.

Referring now to FIG. 19, the structure of the video material isdescribed. The MXF file is structured in such a way that a header (FileHeader), a body (File Body), and a footer (File Footer) are arranged inthat order from the beginning thereof.

In the header, a header partition pack (Header Partition Pack), headermeta data (Header Meta data), and edit text data (Edit Text Data) aresequentially arranged in that order from the beginning thereof. In theheader partition pack, data for specifying a header, the format of dataarranged in the body, information for indicating the file format, etc.,are arranged. In the header meta data, for example, meta data in unitsof files, such as the file creation day and information for dataarranged in the body, is arranged. The edit text data is edited by theediting section 11 and is attached to the header of the MXF file by theheader attaching section 91, as shown in FIG. 19.

The footer is formed of a header partition pack, and in the headerpartition pack, data for specifying a footer is arranged.

The body is formed of one or more edit units (Edit Units). The edit unitis the unit of one frame, and AV data for one frame and others arearranged therein.

The description now returns to the flowchart in FIG. 18.

In step S116, the image text conversion section 22 supplies a bit-mapmaterial to the editing processing apparatus 4.

In step S121, the bit-map material storage 103 of the editing processingapparatus 4 determines whether or not the bit-map material has beensupplied from the editing apparatus 1, and repeats the process until itis supplied. When it is determined in step S121 that the bit-mapmaterial is supplied as a result of the process in step S116, in stepS122, the bit-map material storage 103 obtains and stores the suppliedbit-map material.

As a result of the above processing, the edit text data is described inthe header of the MXF format, which is video material. At this time,based on the edit text data, the bit-map material composed of imagematerial or subtitles text is supplied to the editing processingapparatus 4, where it is stored.

Next, referring to the flowchart in FIG. 20, a description will be givenof an image editing process (distribution process) by the editingprocessing apparatus 4.

In step S131, the separation section 101 determines whether or not theoperation section 100 is operated, predetermined video material isspecified, and an image editing process (distribution) is instructed,and repeats the process until predetermined video material is specifiedand an image editing process (distribution) is instructed. When it isdetermined in step S131 that the predetermined video material isspecified and the image editing process (distribution) is instructed,the process proceeds to step S132.

In step S132, the separation section 101 reads the specified videomaterial from the video material storage 3. Then, in step S133, theseparation section 101 separates the read video material into edit textdata and video material body, and supplies them to the commandconversion section 102 and the obtaining section 51, respectively. Morespecifically, the separation section 101 extracts the edit text datafrom the header part of the video material, supplies it to the commandconversion section 102, and supplies the main body of the remainingvideo material to the obtaining section 51.

In step S134, the command conversion section 102 converts the suppliededit text data into a command that can be recognized by the commandrecognition section 42 and supplies it to the command recognitionsection 42.

In step S135, the command recognition section 42 recognizes the suppliedcommand and supplies the recognition result to the operation controlsection 43.

In step S136, based on the recognition result supplied from the commandrecognition section 42, the operation control section 43 allows theediting processing section 45 to operate to perform an image editingcontrol process for editing the video material. The image editingcontrol process is identical to the process described with reference toFIG. 12, and accordingly, a description thereof is omitted.

In step S137, the output section 46 distributes the edited videomaterial to the AV devices 6-1 and 6-2 via the network 5.

As a result of the above processing, it becomes possible to allow theedit text data to be contained in the video material. Thus, bysynchronizing the timing at which the edit text data is edited with thetiming at which video material is distributed (the timing at which theimage editing process is performed), not only can the video material bedistributed while editing the video material in real time, but also theimage can be edited and distributed in a state in which these timingsare separated.

According to the above-described processing, it is possible to edit themethod of displaying the video material in real time and to easilydisplay the image material and the subtitles in an overlapping manner.

The above-described series of processing can be performed by hardwareand can also be performed by software. When a series of processing is tobe performed by software, the program forming the software is installedfrom a recording medium into a computer incorporated into dedicatedhardware or into, for example, a general-purpose computer capable ofperforming various kinds of functions by installing various kinds ofprograms.

FIG. 21 shows the configuration of an embodiment of a personal computerwhen the electrical internal configuration of the editing apparatus 1 ofFIGS. 2, 13, and 16 or the editing processing apparatus 4 of FIG. 3, 14,and 17 is implemented by software. A CPU 201 of the personal computercontrols the overall operation of the personal computer. Furthermore,when instructions are input from an input section 206 including akeyboard, a mouse, and the like via a bus 204 and an input/outputinterface 205 from the user, the CPU 201 executes a program stored in aROM (Read Only Memory) 202 in response to the instructions.Alternatively, the CPU 201 loads, into a RAM (Random Access Memory) 203,a program that is read from a magnetic disk 221, an optical disc 222, amagneto-optical disc 223, or a semiconductor memory 224 connected to adrive 210 and that is installed into a storage section 208, and executesthe program. As a result, the functions of the editing apparatus 1 ofFIGS. 2, 13, and 16 or the functions of the editing processing apparatus4 of FIGS. 3, 14, and 17 are implemented by software. Furthermore, theCPU 201 controls a communication section 209 in order to performcommunication with the outside and to perform data exchange.

A recording medium for recording a program, as shown in FIG. 21, isformed of a packaged medium composed of the magnetic disk 221 (includinga flexible disk), the optical disc 222 (including a CD-ROM (CompactDisc-Read Only Memory) or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)), themagneto-optical disk 223 (including an MD (Mini-Disc)), or thesemiconductor memory 224, the medium being distributed to provide theprogram to the user separately from the computer. Alternatively, therecording medium is formed of a ROM 202 having a program recordedtherein, which is provided to the user in a state in which it ispre-incorporated into the computer, a hard disk drive contained in thestorage section 208, and so on.

In this specification, the steps describing a program recorded on arecording medium include not only processing which is carried outchronologically in the written order but also processing which isexecuted concurrently or individually although it is not necessarilyprocessed chronologically.

In this specification, the system designates an overall apparatus formedof a plurality of apparatuses.

It should be understood by those skilled in the art that variousmodifications, combinations, sub-combinations and alterations may occurdepending on design requirements and other factors insofar as they arewithin the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.

1. An image processing system comprising: an image processing apparatus,where the image processing apparatus includes an edit section whichedits a text data for processing the first image, a command conversionsection which converts a edit text data edited by the edit section intoa command for processing the first image, a image conversion sectionwhich converts a second image used for processing the first image or asubtitle text data into an image in a predetermined format on the basisof the edit text data, and an output section which outputs the commandand the image in the predetermined format to the image processingapparatus; and An image processing apparatus, where the image processingapparatus includes a receiving section which receives the command andthe image in the predetermined format from image processing apparatus, aprocessing section which processes on the basis of both the command andthe image in the predetermined format.
 2. An information processingapparatus comprising: an editing section editing edit text data forprocessing a first image; a command conversion section converting theedit text data edited by the editing section into a command that can berecognized by the image processing apparatus; a processing sectionprocessing a second image used for processing the first image based onthe edit text data, or subtitles text, on the basis of the edit textdata; an image conversion section converting the second image or thesubtitles text processed by the processing section into an image in apredetermined format; and an output section outputting the command andthe image in the predetermined format to the image processing apparatus.3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, whereinthe edit text data contains information indicating the definition oflayout, information indicating the definition of effects, informationindicating a method for displaying the first image, informationindicating a method for displaying the second image, and informationindicating a method for displaying the text used as subtitles.
 4. Theinformation processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein, when thesecond image used for processing the first image based on the edit textdata or the text used as subtitles is processed on the basis of the edittext data, the processing section processes the information of thesecond image and the text used as subtitles on the basis of theinformation indicating the method for displaying the second image andthe information indicating the method for displaying text used assubtitles, respectively.
 5. The information processing apparatusaccording to claim 4, further comprising an identifier generationsection generating an identifier for identifying the information of thesecond image or the text used as subtitles processed by the processingsection.
 6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5,wherein the identifier generation section generates an identifier byusing a parameter contained in the information indicating the method fordisplaying the second image or contained in the information indicatingthe method for displaying the text used as subtitles processed by theprocessing section.
 7. The information processing apparatus according toclaim 6, wherein the identifier generation section calculates a hashedvalue by using a parameter contained in the information indicating themethod for displaying the second image or contained in the informationindicating the method for displaying the text used as subtitlesprocessed by the processing section, and generates an identifier fromthe hashed value.
 8. The information processing apparatus according toclaim 7, further comprising: an identifier storage section storing theidentifier generated by the identifier generation section; and adetermination section determining whether or not the identifiergenerated by the identifier generation section is stored in advance inthe identifier storage section, wherein, only when the determinationresult of the determination section shows that the identifier generatedby the identifier generation section is not stored in the identifierstorage section, the processing section processes the second image usedfor the processing on the first image based on the edit text data, orthe subtitles text, on the basis of the edit text data.
 9. Theinformation processing apparatus according to claim 2, furthercomprising: a specification data obtaining section obtainingspecification data of the image processing apparatus; and a commandstorage section storing a command that can be recognized for each pieceof the specification data of the image processing apparatus, wherein thecommand conversion section converts the edit text data edited by theediting section into a command that can be recognized by the imageprocessing apparatus on the basis of the specification data of the imageprocessing apparatus, the specification data being obtained by thespecification data obtaining section.
 10. An information processingmethod comprising the steps of: editing edit text data for processing afirst image; converting the edit text data edited in the editing stepinto a command that can be recognized by an image processing apparatus;processing a second image used for processing the first image based onthe edit text data, or subtitles text, on the basis of the edit textdata; converting the second image or the subtitles text processed in theprocessing step into an image in a predetermined format; and outputtingthe command and the image in the predetermined format to the imageprocessing apparatus.
 11. A program for enabling a computer to executethe steps of: controlling the editing of edit text data for processing afirst image; controlling the conversion of the edit text data edited inthe editing control step into a command that can be recognized by animage processing apparatus; controlling the processing of a second imageused for processing the first image based on the edit text data or theprocessing of subtitles text, on the basis of the edit text data;controlling the conversion of the second image or the subtitles textprocessed in the processing control step into an image in apredetermined format; and controlling the output of the command and theimage in the predetermined format to the image processing apparatus. 12.An image processing apparatus comprising: an obtaining section obtaininga command for processing a first image supplied from an informationprocessing apparatus, and an image in a predetermined format in which asecond image or subtitles text is processed; a recognition sectionrecognizing the command obtained by the obtaining section; and aprocessing section processing the first image by using the image in thepredetermined format on the basis of the command recognized by therecognition section.
 13. The image processing apparatus according toclaim 12, further comprising: a specification data storage sectionstoring its own specification data; and a supply section supplying itsown specification data stored in the specification data storage sectionto the information processing apparatus.